What would be recommended for a kineticist focused on ice specifically, and using it to turn a generally considered defensive element into full offence?
Cold will be lvl 1 blast, ice will be lvl 7 blast. lvl 15 expansion is open.
There doesn't appear to be an energy Water composite. Is it worth losing touch options and flavour to go Annihilator? Are there any other archetypes that increase offence potential?
One of these days, I'll fully learn the Occult classes.
I've made a water kineticist up to 20 who went water, water, air.
With air you can get the blizzard Blast with which you can make the cloud infusion and then you can make a chilling blizzard cloud, which is amazing.
That's pretty high level though. Going full offence you're better off with a physical composite than a touch one anyway, I favour Dex over con for kinetictss anyway, yay you do 2 more damage if you hit, but you're 10% more likely to miss and do 0 damage. If you try you should b able to reach a point when you're hitting on 3 or 4 at touch.
I wouldn't go annilator personally, it gives up too much versatility in my opinion.
What would be recommended for a kineticist focused on ice specifically, and using it to turn a generally considered defensive element into full offence?
Cold will be lvl 1 blast, ice will be lvl 7 blast. lvl 15 expansion is open.
There doesn't appear to be an energy Water composite. Is it worth losing touch options and flavour to go Annihilator? Are there any other archetypes that increase offence potential?
One of these days, I'll fully learn the Occult classes.
I'm not entirely convinced its possible. I just don't think the kineticist has enough options out there to exert that kind of control over the various elements. For one, cold/ice lacks the resistance reduction fire has available to it so if you aren't taking one of your pure physical options something as simple as cold resist 10 is going to be an obnoxious as hell fight.
Consider going Water/Air/(void/aether/water) instead of Water Water water. Blizzard is a composite blast that does the same piercing/cold that ice blast does but has more options for form infusions (cloud, cyclone). With the substance infusions available to cryokineticists (entangled, staggered) you can busily debuff while contributing damage AND act as AOE/battlefield control (slick) Going air at 7 also opens up a better version of flight, and gives you a pure physical damage blast in the case of cold immune enemies.
Itd still be in theme for a cold kineticist, still be offensively heavy, but rather than big spears of ice you're summoning winter storms and forcing save or suck on the opponent.
As far as I can tell, there is only one Pure physical water composite, Mud. I had no intentions of going pure water through 15. I also don't think of debuffing as offence as much as support.
In the general sense, your analysis is sound. Blizzard certainly gives more options, but they just aren't the options I like.
If you're wedded to water/water and the ice blast i'm not really sure there's much else to be done to turn you offensive. Maybe take void and the gravity enhancement to make your blasts d8's at 15. The piercing spear thing is ok, but not really that great and ice doesn't have a whole ton of options for dealing with multiple people at once.
Maybe go kinetic knight and full kinetic whip form.
Now that I think on it, Knight could work. What's more extreme than having heavy armour and shield because they increase your offence?